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Library of The Theological Seminary 


PRINCETON - NEW JERSEY 


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FROM THE LIBRARY OF THE 


REVEREND CHARLES ROSENBURY ERDMAN 
D.D., LL.D. 


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THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 





THE DOOR OF DEATH 
WIDE OPEN 





BY 


JULES GUYARD 


lalate 


‘The Christopher Publishing House 
n, U.S.A. 


Copyright 1925 
BY THE CHRISTOPHER PUBLISHING HOUSE 





Dedicated to All Those Who Have Loved Ones 
Beyond the Great Valley of Death 


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XXXIL. 
XXXIIL 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 


Is There a Life After Death? ........ 
Where are the Dead? ...........2-- 
VOUSV OMIE YX OUR LALO Ile dinsatchavalate «a. 
Thre Mtherie: BodV circa csictne sie 
The Trip if the Dead Could See ...... 
THE LANGING Ete e cele ae eles ae ta tine ats 
The Etheric Body in the Etherical 
MOGIONS: ceeds och eee aes 
GEE OLINGER ore ealee oie vine lacatasidese 
ENG [MITA ELON, Cu. cis iare'e.e-lelssa tates talels 
Rules, Regulations and Customs of 
Miriteys ec ae ais sate aera wy os os 
TO EANGTIC LILO 7s aaloc's neleles eecniels es 
Israel Reconstructed 
The Daily Life of Spirits ........... 
Have the Spirits Sexes ............- 
Gifts of Spirits 
Retrospective Thoughts of Spirits ... 
The Aura 
INGWS SCLVICE C2 eo eee ewiacicintsiaes 
Operas, Theatres and Movies ....... 
MEE SDD ORG Eis aectte a choles e otd a arto aha’ s 
Holidays in the Spheres ............ 
PTE NTECHOPICS fs ee male ec ek lot Wacere 
Spirit Children in the Etherical 
PREDTONS! 2 wre aa ork ah chats Chait tae 
The Spheres of the First Stratum ... 
Communications Between the Spheres 
and the Earth are Open ........ 
Spheres of the Fifth Stratum ....... 
Spirits Govern Themselves ......... 
The Mooners and the Islanders ...... 
MADETIC SCTISES IN: cites ee te els 
Does Death Cure Every Ill? ........ 
Packing for the Moon’).2.6 2332 00.%. 
ENBEOLOOD Wee avi satachilcta ceils State 


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The Door of Death Wide Open 


CHAPTER I. 


IS THERE LIFE AFTER DEATH? 


Is there a lifé after death? This question which 
is on every lip will be answered in the most affirma- 
tive way. There is a life after death, a life as real as 
the life on earth. This question which embarrasses, 
even, those who believe in a life after death, does one 
retain the same personality, the same individuality 
as on earth, will also be answered, if it is possible, 
in a still more affirmative way. 

I will say to every one, after you leave your body, 
after you are out of the flesh, you are just as much 
yourself as when you were living. I use the word 
living in the sense, earth people understand it. Spi- 
rits hardly ever say dead, they do not say: he is dead, 
they say: he is out of the Flesh. Flesh is a word 
which according to Spirits, should always be written 
with a big F. Flesh, this word full of prestige that 
spirits love so much to say. How often does the 
word “Flesh” sound in the conversations of the Spi- 
rits; when I was in the Flesh, if I were again in the 
Flesh. Often, very often, they think of the Flesh, 
they used to wear on earth. (As far as possible, I will 
express myself as the Spirits do, using as much as 
possible the Spirit’s language, that is, their own 
words, their own expressions, their own idioms.) 
How often do spirits ask one another this question, 
with a capital Q: where is your Flesh rotting, always 
adding; shall I spell the word? F-l-e-s-h. 

Flesh like Death is a word, which is always, always 
spelled by Spirits; in fact, it is criminal, it is sacri- 
legious to pronounce Flesh or Death without spell- 


10 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


ing them. There are some other words like Flesh, 
Death, which are sacro-saint for Spirits; which must 
always be pronounced with awe and regret, as: 
Earth, Sun, Blue Sky, Stars. Do the Spirits think 
often of the earth, it is a superflous question afterthe 
enumeration of the above words. Whether Spirits liv- 
ed happily or not on the wonderful ball called earth, 
their thoughts are always centered on it. They like 
to think of the seas and rivers of the earth, of its 
forests and mountains. Far away, far away, they 
live in reality a dual life, they are almost as much 
on the earth, in imagination, of course, as in the 
Moon. (The use of this word will be explained later 
and is full of meaning.) The American, by the mind, 
lives in the United States, making frequent excur- 
sions to New York; the Englishman lives in his misty 
island, taking also frequent trips, in imagination, to 
his foggy London, as for the Frenchman, he is by 
mind and by heart, twenty-four hours a day in his 
beloved Paris; the South American is always dream- 
ing of his Paradiselike hemisphere. All Spirits, al- 
though it is against the rules, visualize daily earth 
scenes and earth life. What is the day of the Week, 
earth people like best? The answer will be Sunday, 
because it is a day of rest and pleasure. Sunday is 
for the Spirits, (the days of the week exist just as 
much for them as for the earth people) a day of 
sorrow, a day of gloom, a day of acute depression. 
Sunday has for them too many bitter memories of 
happy hours, not to hate it. Spirits hate, despise, 
abhor Sunday and in spite of that and for this very 
reason, their thoughts, on that day are more earth- 
bent than any other day. Sunday is a word put out, 
banished, extirpated from the Spirits’ vocabulary, a 
nameless day, nameless, but however, longer and 
more real than all the other days. 

As for Christmas, New Year, Easter and Fourth 
of July, if you value your life at all, better never to 
utter even the first syllable of any of those festivals. 
Think of them if you want, and they all do, but never 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 11 


speak of them. Woe to the Spirit or Spirits, who 
raise the fateful cry of “Earth,” wonderful earth, 
earth, jewel of the creation where art thou? Spirits 
sometimes call themselves the “Quakers of the other 
Side” because they use exclusively in speaking the 
“thou” form. Not only do the days and the months 
exist for Spirits but also the seasons. In fall, they 
like and hate to think of the falling leaves, in winter, 
of the snow, in spring, of the flowers, in summer, of 
the seashore. When very gloomy and depressed, 
Spirits like to imitate the rattling of the rain, in 
fact they are so gifted for imitation and visualization 
that they almost see the rain falling, at first, a show- 
er, then a heavy rain turning into a downpour. Ex- 
clamations, as on earth, are heard on all sides; some 
rain, was that not a downpour, are you drenched? 
The classical spirit reply is; I am soaked to the skin, 
as 1 had left my umbrella at home. Then, everybody 
bursts out into smiles and the gloom disappears. 
(Spirits cannot laugh, their face can only, break into 
smiles.) 

All Saints Day, le jour des Morts, Palm Sunday 
and Memorial Day are red letter days with the Spi- 
rits, if on these days, the earth people think of their 
dead, the Spirits duly return them the compliment, 
abusing their friends and relatives for not thinking 
of them, more often, and complaining bitterly to 
have been so quickly forgotten. New Comers (the 
Dead who have recently arrived) wonder if their 
grave is decorated, older Spirits to console them say: 
your grave has not been touched, earth people are 
through so quickly with their departed. New Com- 
ers often say on those commemoration days: give us 
eyes to cry. (Spirits can neither laugh nor weep.) 
The Dead send this strange message to the earth 
people; plant weeping willows in the cemeteries in- 
stead of fir trees, we are so tired of those dark trees. 


CHAPTER II. 


WHERE ARE THE DEAD? 


The cemeteries are empty, the graves contain 
nothing but shells, where are the Dead? The Dead 
like the living belong to the Solar System and do not 
go out of it. They leave, it is true, for a far away 
country, from where, until recently not one, not a 
single one had ever returned. Where is this country 
of the Dead, in another planet? The Dead are at an 
average distance of two hundred and fifty thousand 
miles from the earth. They live on islands, scattered 
in the exterior seas of the moon and in the moon it- 
self. The moon with its orbit is the abode of the 
Dead of the earth. Great, no, immense is their sur- 
prise, their astonishment, their amazement, in fact, 
there are no words strong enough in any tongue to 
express their state of mind, their feelings, when they 
land in those mysterious isles, which form with the 
moon, the Empire of the Dead. Where did they expect 
to go? Many to Heaven, many to Purgatory, many 
nowhere, not a single one expected to go to Hell; 
there is not one Spirit, who thinks himself bad 
enough for Hell. It is only very slowly and gradu- 
ally, the Dead come to the realization that it is an- 
other life which begins for them. A life, it is true, 
totally different from the life on earth, but all the 
same a thinking life, with the same mind, the same 
soul and the same spirit. For some, it takes two or 
three months, for many, long long months to discover 
exactly where they are, refusing absolutely to accept 
the absurd idea they are in the moon. How often 
do the new comers ask this question, the Spirits call 
it, the Eternal Question; where are we exactly, are 
we dead or alive? They receive from the old timers 
(Spirits who have been there for years) the invari- 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 13 


able answer; you are dead and you are not dead, you 
are in Hell and you are not in Hell. Little reassured, 
little satisfied and little enlightened, the new comers 
-will risk the expected question: Is so and so here? 
They receive the unexpected answer; If you do not 
know, how can we know; we rely upon you to en- 
lighten us. This is said ina sharp icy tone, the ex- 
pected happens, the conversation stops. The new 
comers keep silent, glaring angrily at the old timers, 
who do their best to look formidable. Silence reigns 
for a few minutes, the conversation is resumed, both 
sides rather eager to talk. New comers will be as a 
rule, the first to reopen the conversation; by way of 
excusing themselves and to court sympathy, they 
gay: We ask you where we are because we are 
stunned, dazed, bewildered. The older Spirits put 
in good humor by the humility and meekness of the 
new comers reply in a softer voice; after having 
crossed the great valley of Death, how can you be 
dumb and stupid enough, to think you are quite 
yourself, be sensible. Spirits continue; We will be 
kind and good hearted enough, to give you some ex- 
planations about your new life. Remember the ex- 
planations we will give you, because our time honor- 
ed custom is never to repeat, we are no repeaters: 
listen, you are born again, consider yourself a child, 
newly born, you will grow in stature, grace and wis- 
dom, if you show yourself meek, obedient and sub- 
missive. It is the first part of the speech, the second 
part follows: Here, you will have an easy life, but, 
but, first and last warning, if you show yourself 
willful, headstrong and rebellious, your path will be 
strewn with pebbles, and sown with thorns. 

Before leaving, Spirits say to new comers, We go 
and leave you for a week or so in the hands of the 
Consolers: weep today and tomorrow, on the third 
day, dry your tears, begin to smile on the fourth, on 
the fifth we will return and expect to find you laugh- 
ing and full of mirth; last advice and a very impor- 
tant one, do not think of the earth and of your rela- 


14 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


tives, you are here and you are here, that’s all. As 
soon as the Spirits have left, the consolers begin 
their painful and arduous task. The consolers: Did 
you suffer much before passing over? The new 
comer to excite sympathy which is not very appar- 
ent, replies: I have suffered martyrdom. The con- 
solers ; Did you see yourself dying? The new comer ; 
sure the consolers are warming up; I saw myself 
passing, it was the most agonizing part. The consol- 
ers; How long did last your atrocious agony? The 
new comer ; Hours long hours long, it seemed I could 
not die and all the time suffering atrociously. The 
consoler; Was the doctor around while you were 
agonizing? The new comer; I do not know as I was 
unconscious. The consolers burst in laughter and slap 
the new comer on the back, exclaiming; What a big 
liar you are, how nicely you fabricate lies. The con- 
solers; Our self imposed task is accomplished, you 
are consoled. The new comer amazed, writes men- 
tally a big interrogation Point ‘?). The consolers: 
as you know how to lie so cleverly and so artfully, 
you must have a most brilliant imagination; being 
So imaginative, you can easily console yourself by 
imagining all kinds of pleasant and funny things, 
you do not need our consolations so sincerely meant. 
Exeunt the consolers. Now it is the turn of the 
amusers, called also the fun makers and the gloom 
chasers. Do they deserve rightly their names, my 
readers will judge for themselves. The amusers 
speaking to the new comers; as you do not need any 
consolation, the Spirits have sent us to amuse you. 
The new comers do not reply anything, expecting 
something on the same order. The amusers ; Do you 
like fairies and fairy stories? The new comers angry; 
what kind of fairy stories? The amusers: Fairy 
stories in a fairy land. The new comers, if they 
have brains, reply diplomatically; We used to 
like them very much when we were children. The 
amusers looking very stern; you are children again, 
you have just left your cradle, you surely do love 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 15 


fairies, fairy lands and fairy stories. The new com- 
ers remain silent, wishing their eyes could kill. The 
amusers delighted at the ire of the new comers, con- 
tinue: we know many wonderful fairy stories, but 
as you are in a fairy land, instead of hearing them, 
you will live them; for this very good and excellent 
reason you don’t need to be humored. Exeunt the 
amusers. The new comers look at one another, dis- 
concerted and nonplussed, little suspecting they are 
bound to march from amazement to amazement; 
Spirits have still in reserve for them a great many 
shocks and knocks. 


CHAPTER III. 
YOU VOMIT YOUR LIFE 


It is Judgement Day, it is true, there are no angels 
with white robes and golden wings, but there is a 
vast gathering of Spirits, robed in orange yellow. 
The Spirits form a big half circle, many rows deep, 
the half circle has almost the shape of a gigantic 
horse shoe. As the angels with their trumpets are 
missing, the Spirits themselves supply the trumpet- 
ers. On each flank of the horse shoe, they have two 
groups of old timers massed in squares. One group 
is supposed to trumpet, the other group to shout, 
rather to scream; the Judgement, the great Book 
will open: Woe to the wicked, Woe to the mean one, 
Woe to the selfish one. Useless to say that the two 
groups, on each side of the horse shoe, acquit them- 
selves with energy and vigor of their duties. The 
trumpeters trumpet to make everbody deaf and the 
shriekers to make everybody shiver. The new comers, 
who are being judged, stand almost in the center of 
the crescent, they look pitiful in their distress and 
fear. Many, probably for the first time, go over their 
earthly life, all their mean and despisable actions are 
so to say, flashed by themselves in their mind; they 
will have to vomit them. Vomit is a crude word but 
the only right one, because every word concerning 
their contemptible acts will have to be forced out, to 
be squeezed out, to be vomited out. On each side of. 
the “Vomiter” stand two Spirits, the Spirit on the 
right is the Laudator, the Spirit on the left is the 
critic. 

It goes without saying that the Laudator is there 
to compliment, to praise, to laud: the critic, to criti- 
cize, to belittle, to abuse. I am very sorry to have to 
say that often, the Laudator betrays his trust and 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN ve 


joins forces with the Critic in attacking the “Vom- 
iter’. Before starting, as a rule, Spirits spring a 
surprise on the new comers. The very people, for 
whom they have been repeatedly inquiring and clam- 
oring, stand right in front of them. For the first 
time, they see their parents, relatives or friends, who 
have preceded them in the Etherical Regions. The 
parents, the relatives, the friends, are the star spec- 
tators, the star witnesses of the proceedings of the 
honorable Court of the Spirit Justice. Judges are 
absent for the valid reason that Spirits will be at 
the same time juries and judges, lawyers being so 
expensive on earth, are dispensed with; the Lau- 
dator is supposed to replace the lawyer, as the Critic 
is a kind of District Attorney. In reality, the new 
comer has no lawyer but two accusers, who will go 
over all his life, starting from the age of reason and 
understanding, which, according to Spirits, should 
begin at the age of ten years. They dwell at great 
length on his mean and contemptible acts, pass light- 
ly over his good and laudable actions, which, as a 
rule, are very rare and far apart. The strange and 
extraordinary thing is that Spirits never get tired 
of hearing lives vomited; they hear them, so to say, 
day, after day, month after month, with the same 
eagerness and pleasure. The august Court of Spirit 
Justice sits every day, except Sunday, from twelve 
o’clock to two o’clock P.M. to hear the pleas of the 
new comers and enter verdict. Every mean and 
despisable action bared out by the “Vomiting” is 
carefully recorded by the Scribes; Spirits go over all 
the particulars of each reprehensible and culpable 
act, reviewing it from every angle. After a long 
and animated discussion, they agree unanimously on 
the verdict, to which they always attach a sentence, 
being mild or severe, according to the life of the new 
comer, on earth. A verdict is followed by a sentence 
for the good and excellent reason that nobody has 
been perfect on earth; the benign sentence as the 
character of “Praise.” Spirits divide lives into five 


4 


18 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


categories: a noble life, a good life, a passable life, 
a bad life, a wicked life. A noble life is a mention, 
which is seldom given, it is necessary to have been 
a splendid man on earth, to compel Spirits to grant 
a noble life. The mention “a good life” is not easy 
to obtain. Spirits demand a life far above the aver- 
age. A “passable life” is freely granted but not 
without discrimination. As for “a bad life’ and a 
“wicked life,” Spirits are very liberal in granting 
those mentions. The mention “A good life,” entitles 
to many privileges; the mention ‘a wicked life,” 
entitles also to many privileges, but to privileges of 
another sort altogether. 

The official positions of the Spirit’s realm such as; 
Administrator, Critic, Laudator, Censor, Admonish- 
er, Exhorter, Scribe, are, only open to those with the 
coveted diploma “a good life.” New comers with 
the diploma of ‘a bad life” or with the super diplo- 
ma of “a wicked life” are entitled, during the initia- 
tion period, to as many slaps and kicks as they can 
assimilate, the “passable life’ may also get 
some when their life is rather below the av- 
erage. After the sentence has been imposed, the 
new comers are privileged to speak with their friends 
and relatives, it is a highly prized privilege, only 
granted to those who on earth, strove for good, right, 
truth, and justice. The wicked lifers receive nothing 
but a scornful and frigid greeting. The probabilities 
are they will never see again their friends and rela- 
tives. Spirits, except for the good lifers, do not wish 
to perpetuate the family ties or the bonds of friend- 
ship. The wicked often, on earth, prosper more than 
the just, because they are heartless and without 
scruples, but “in the other world” they will pay. 


CHAPTER IV. 


THE ETHERIC BODY 


I am positive that every one of my readers has 
by this time, a burning and anxious question on the 
lips; Is there a God?’ The immense Universe, no 
human brain can understand its immensity, is ruled 
by a Great Power, who has his seat in the most won- 
derful, in the biggest, in the farthest away solar 
system of the Universe. This solar system is the 
axis of the Universe; his Light, the breath of the 
Universe. This Great Power loves the earth people, 
and thinks they are now advanced enough for a great 
revelation. 

The first revelation is the truth on Life after 
Death; other revelations will follow. Everbody car- 
ries in himself his victory over death. Every human 
body has its exact counterpart caved in, it is the 
etheric body. This etheric body is visible to those 
called psychists, but they are far fewer in number 
than supposed, most of them are in India or come 
from India. The etheric body appears to psychists 
bluish grey in color, Spirits say color of smoke. A 
psychist sees with the eyes of his own etheric body, 
dispensing entirely with the eyes of his physical 
body. A psychist sees not only the etheric body but 
also the etheric colors. The mind generates colors 
which the etheric body radiates in shafts. These 
colors are more or less bright, the shafts more or less 
spread out according to the moral character of the 
individual. 

The colors radiated by high spiritually developed 
people are beautiful and vivid, contrasting strongly 
with the ugly and dull colors of people of low spirit- 
uality and morals. There are three requisites to 
emit blue colors, which are divine colors; faith in 


20 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


God, a heart and brain; there are also three requi- 
sites to open the Door of Heaven; faith in God, a 
heart and a brain. The mind, the soul, the spirit, 
the seat of thoughts and memories is not in the 
head of the physical body, but in the head 
of the etheric body; when the etheric body 
leaves the physical body, it takes along with it the 
mind, which is in reality, part of it. The mind, seen 
with etheric eyes, is not any bigger than a speck; 
Spirits call it the point. Etheric eyes look a great 
deal like glass eyes and magnify. It is the mind, 
speaking like Spirits, the point, which gives to the 
head its facial characteristics, for this reason, the 
etheric head is hardly different from the physical 
head ; any one can easily be recognized. 

The etheric body does not leave the physical 
body at the hour of death, as it would be supposed, 
but detaches itself during the agony. Earth people 
think the agony is the supreme struggle between life 
and death, a tragic duel, which always ends in favor 
of death; such is not at all the case. The agony is 
more or less painful, more or less prolonged, accord- 
ing to how solidly the etheric body is caved in. 
When the etheric body is, so to say, just framed in, 
the sick one will go without much suffering. The 
dreaded agony is over, pitiless death has won, the 
pody lies lifeless on the bed, a body no longer, only 
a corpse. Two or three days after, the body is taken 
to the cemetery and committed to the grave. I will 
certainly give a severe shock to everybody when I 
affirm most categorically that, although the body is 
in the grave, the dead is still in the house where he 
passed away. He is unconscious and moves dream- 
lessly around, a psychist could see him. At this 
time, he is well a specter, a ghost, half gray, half 
white as the popular imagination pictures them. The 
form of a ghost is fluid, and could be best compared 
to a form, made of smoke or of mist. After a week 
or so, the fluid form gets somewhat hard, becomes 
bluish, the shafts of colors which framed the head, 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 21 


form a circle over it, resembling greatly an umbrel- 
la, or more exactly a parachute. Little by little, the 
parachute which is at first diaphanous, becomes solid 
and will be strong enough to lift up the etheric body. 
The mind, during all these changes, sinks more and 
more into absolute unconsciousness; Spirits say: the 
mind sinks into an etheric sleep. The colors are 
etheric, consequently the parachute is also etheric. 
The parachute ascends as would a balloon, drawing 
after it the etheric body; Spirits compare the para- 
chute to an airship and the etheric body to its basket. 
Everybody will ask: Where does the etheric body go? 
Where did I say the etherical regions are situated? 
In the orbit of the Moon. The lifter, (this is the 
name given by Spirits to the parachute) with its 
more or less precious burden, is drawn as by a mag- 
net, toward those regions. Etheric attracts etheric; 
The law of attraction is one of the greatest laws of 
the Universe. 


CHAPTER V. 


THE TRIP IF THE DEAD COULD SEE 


The dead leave the earth for the etherical regions 
from ten days to two weeks after their physical 
death; some leave only three weeks after. Spirits 
call those who arrive a week or so after their death, 
the fast ones; Spirits think they were so quick in 
coming, because they were awfully anxious to know 
what kind of a place is the “Hereafter.” They lost 
no time in taking their flight. The dead who land two 
or three weeks after, Spirits call them the slow ones. 
The old timers think they were dubious about their 
new Place, being so slow in coming. When they are 
Home (Spirits call their place, home) the fast ones 
think they were too fast; the slow ones think they 
were not slow enough. Nobody is specially pleased 
to be “Home,” everybody is of the opinion he could 
have stood “The Exile” a good many years more. 
They were told on earth they were pilgrims, they are 
all sure they took their pilgrimage too seriously 
and did not enjoy the life and the charms of the 
earth as much as they should have done. Spirits 
make to themselves this constant reproach; when I 
was on earth, why did I not find more pleasure in 
admiring the beauties of nature, the wonderful 
landscapes, the roaring ocean, the lovely flowers, the 
starry skies. Spirits never fail to compliment the 
fast ones to have been speedy in coming home; the 
compliment is rather resented. On the other hand, 
the slow ones are rebuked to have shown go little 
hurry in coming home to roost. 

The etheric body is up in the air, on its way to its 
destination: the etherical regions. The etheric body 
ascends in spirals, making all the time wider and 
wider spirals until it pierces the earth envelope. The 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 23 


ascension is rather slow. The etheric body is not in 
its element and struggles against air currents, which 
delay considerably the ascent. As soon as the ether- 
ic body is out of the earth atmosphere, it is released, 
it is in its own element; the etheric body feels, so to 
say, at home. The etheric body which had been 
unsteady in the air regions, becomes almost a bolide, 
etherizes, ‘read flies,) at a terrific speed, following a 
zigzag course, each curve increasing its velocity. 
To some one who could hear, the etheric body whis- 
tles almost as a big shell, leaving behind it a trail 
of luminous phosphorescence. How long lasts the 
ascent? I will say from three to five hours. Earth’s 
atmospheric conditions have greatly to do with the 
flight duration, as most of the time is consumed on 
the first leg of the trip; the earth belt leg. 

Old people are far less speedy than those dying in 
the prime of life. It takes them fully from seven to 
ten hours to reach their etheric destination. The 
flight is steady until the etheric body nears the 
Moon, a planet full of dangers for etherics, on ac- 
count of etheric storms; the greatest sea storms do 
not approach, in any way, in size and magnitude to 
the etheric moon storms. The etheric moon storms 
are produced by the violent oscillations of this so 
called dead planet; Later on, I will prove that the 
moon is a planet, in all the glory of etheric life. 

Mysterious pilots patrol the etheric seas of the 
orbit of the moon, forcing the dead to give a wide 
berth to the moon and piloting them to their destin- 
ation. After having left the moon on the side, if the 
dead could see, they would perceive an etherical 
mass, orange yellow in color, so dense and compact 
that it is, as the Spirits say, etheric stonified. This 
enormous mass would appear to them as a gigantic 
pyramid, triangular in form and sharply pointed, 
composed, so it would seem, of five distinct strata. 
This pyramid could also be compared to a sea, rising 
in height, dotted with thousands of isles. The isles 
are much more orange yellow in color than the sea, 


24 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


making big spots on it. All these scattered isles, 
the empire of the dead of the earth, which I call 
spheres form an immense empire. The Great 
Power who rules the Universe, has entrusted 
me with the rule of the dead, who are in the 
spheres and in the Moon, and also, with the mission 
to lift the veil of death for the earth people. The door 
of death sealed up for thousands of years is wide 
open. 


CHAPTER VI. 


THE LANDING 


At the base of the pyramid is found an interior 
etheric sea, separated from the exterior etheric. sea 
by dikes of stonified ether; these dikes shelter this 
enclosed sea. The great etheric storms break them- 
selves against these mighty dikes, without being 
able to disturb the calmness of this interior sea. The 
dead land on this sea, remain immersed in it, for at 
least a week, at a depth of about twenty feet. This 
immersion solidifies their body, although the etheric 
body remains always, in spite of its solidity, very 
flexible. Day by Day, the etheric body becomes 
more and more solid and rises in proportion to its 
solidity. Usually at the end of one week, the etheric 
body comes to the surface, floats on its back, lulled 
gently by the waves, which at times awaken the mind 
to a dizzy kind of consciousness, but only for a few 
minutes; the mind, then, relapses into its etheric 
lethargy. This great etheric sea is guarded and 
watched by Etherics, who hover over it, on the look- 
out for any sign of life. 

I call Etherics, most intelligent beings, who have 
never been on earth, born and raised in the etherical 
regions. The Etheric watchers, as soon as they 
think the dead are strong enough to resume their 
journey, confide them to guides who take them to 
such and such a sphere, according to their spiritual 
development. Every dead carries and bears with 
him, both terms used in a literal sense, his judg- 
ment. The colors which his etheric body used to 
radiate on earth, will affect him automatically where 
he intellectually, spiritually and morally belongs. On 
earth, each and every one writes his own judgment 
and prepares for himself happiness or regret. The 


26 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


dead, after a trip lasting a couple of hours, land for 
the second time. This time not on an etheric sea but 
on an etheric island. An etheric sea is fluid, an 
etheric island is solid. When he lands on the etheric 
island, the dead is still in his lethargy. After one 
hour or so, lethargy makes place to deep stupor, 
which, at the end of two or three hours is replaced 
by bewilderment. The dead remains in his state of 
bewilderment for three days, with, at intervals, 
states of semi-consciousness, he sees or rather dis- 
tinguishes, he hears or rather perceives sounds. 
On the fourth day the dead finds himself lying his 
back propped up, his head hurts, his body vibrates 
ina rhythmic way. He does not know where he is, in 
fact, he does not know if he is dead or alive; it seems 
to him he has been transported to a most strange and 
mysterious country, among most strange and mys- 
terious people. He dimly sees a vast throng, look- 
ing like men and not looking like men, looking more 
like statues, but living statues; he vaguely hears a 
deafening noise, a bedlam of voices and shrieks. New 
comers are too confused, too stunned, to be scared, 
they think it is a dream, rather a nightmare; every- 
thing is to them so new, so strange, so unexpected. 
The crowd howls: you are dead, you are dead, you 
are dead; after a short pause they howl again; all 
the same, you are living, you are living, you have a 
voice to tell us, how glad, how delighted, you are to 
be freed of all human infirmities and miseries. They 
continue: thank death to have been kind and 
merciful enough to bring you here where money and 
toil do not exist. The new comers try to speak, but 
are only able to stutter incomprehensible words. Ex- 
hausted by this exertion, still beyond their strength, 
they relapse into their lethargic stupor but they 
wake up for good, with a clear mind and fully con- 
scious a few hours later. What was fantastic be- 
comes existent, what was a dream becomes a reality ; 
they are born to a new life; the etheric life. 


CHAPTER VII. 
THE ETHERIC BODY IN THE ETHERICAL REGIONS 


All scientists proclaim the human body with 
its nerves and muscles a marvel. If the human body 
is a marvel, the etheric body is the marvel of marvels. 
The Spirits are immensely proud of their etheric 
body; they think that in the scale of evolution (I do 
not use this word in its literal sense) they are far 
more advanced, far more developed than earth peo- 
ple, according to them, they have gone up the ladder. 

The etheric body which was bluish on earth, in the 
etherical regions is solid and orange and yellow. It 
is always easy to know if a Spirit is a new comer or 
an old timer, by the color of his skin. The skin of 
the new comer is more yellow than orange, with the 
old timer, it is the contrary. When Spirits have been 
there quite a number of years, their skin is a combin- 
ation of two colors; orange and rust. Ether solidi- 
fied could be best compared to rubber. Spirits, in- 
stead of a flesh body, have a body made of rubber; 
(I use this word for lack of a better one) like rub- 
ber this body is resisting and yet very supple. Spi- 
rits, as a rule, are of the opinion their etheric body 
is much more handsome, much better built than the 
physical body, many are never tired of admiring 
themselves ; vanity exists in the spheres as on earth. 
The face is lighter in color than the rest of the body 
and seems to radiate a soft light; the face is long, 
round heads being unknown for this reason, learned 
Spirits say they are dolichocephalic and not brachy- 
cephalic. In appearance, except for color and the ab- 
sence of hair, they are not so very different from 
earth people. Spirits are highly pleased with their 
etheric body, they, only, object to their hands. The 
hands of the etheric body are clumsy, the palms are 


28 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


large and the fingers short, they say, speaking their 
own slang; their hands have too much palm and not 
enough finger. For myself, to the risk of displeasing 
them, (they are rather easy to offend and very sus- 
ceptible when it comes to their body) I will say, 
that their feet are too big in proportion to their body. 
Spirits are taller than they were on earth, most of 
them measure fully seven feet and a half; giants in 
stature, they are, often, dwarfs in intellect. When 
speaking to them, I often say; you are a giant in sta- 
ture, aim at becoming a spiritual giant. 

It is my custom to invite every Spirit with whom 
I was acquainted on earth, to come and spend a few 
weeks near me. Spirits, instead of hair on the head, 
have a luminous crown, right over the top; this crown 
has the form of a halo. (Angels and Saints are sup- 
posed to have such a halo behind their head; statues 
and pictures represent them, always, haloed.) The 
etheric body has all the articulations of the physical 
body, but is not so stiff. Spirits can walk, run, jump, 
stoop. The etheric body like the physical body is 
subject to fatigue, I will probably astound every- 
body, when I affirm that the etheric body becomes 
tired rather more quickly than the physical body; 
headache is the chief pain of the etheric body, eye- 
soreness a close second. If the etheric body is not 
exempt from ills, it is not also exempt from wants, 
it needs air, (read, ether,) and at regular hours, 
must reinvigorate itself in a kind of slumber which 
Spirits call “etheric drowsiness.” Spirits have even 
dreams when they slumber, but those dreams are 
more in the nature of visions than anything else; 
they visualize earth scenes and home surroundings. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


THE POINT 


Spirits have two forms; the point and the etheric 
body; they pass from one form to the other with 
lightning rapidity. Spirits call also the Point “The 
twinkling eye” because it seems to open and close; 
in fact it twinkles. They pass from the etheric body 
to the twinkling eye and from the Point to the ether- 
ic body just by an act of will. When Spirits pass 
from the Point to the etheric body, they say; they 
materialize; from the etheric body to the twinkling 
eye, they say; they dematerialize. They use the 
Etheric form most of the time but spend one hour or 
two a day in the Point form. The Point form is the 
form best adapted to think, to concentrate, to medi- 
tate, to send thought waves. The supreme ambi- 
tion of all Spirits is to be able to send thought waves 
and to speak by thoughts, it is a legitimate ambition 
that only a limited number of bright Spirits realize. 
It takes, indeed, a strong Spirit to converse by 
thoughts, if you can do it, you are classed as a Spirit 
of the first magnitude. There are Spirits, like stars, 
of the first, second, third magnitude and so on. There 
is a sport, rather an amusement, of which Spirits are 
exceedingly fond; the dance, in fact, they have 
raised it to the dignity of a ceremony, of a rite. In 
order to be fresh for the dance, they pass the pre- 
ceding hour in the Point form, to rest their etheric 
body. They have dances for all occasions, as the 
American Indians have: dances to welcome the new 
comers; dances of mourning, dances of sorrow, dan- 
ces of joy, dances of defi; Spirits say: the etheric 
body was made for the dance; the Point to prepare 
for the dance. The Point hovers but can also fly. 
A strong Spirit can fly several miles, in the Point 


30 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


form; a weak Spirit, only, a few yards. The Point 
is really the wonder of wonders, the etheric body dis- 
appears as by magic, rolls itself around the twink- 
ling eye. When Spirits materialize again, the Point, 
by the mere act of will power, forces the electricity 
wrapped around it, to project the etheric body. 
Strong and mighty Spirits, in the Point form, can 
speak, hear and see, for them, the twinkling eye has 
all the faculties of the etheric body ; weak Spirits, in 
the Point form, are mute, deaf and blind. 

Every one of my readers will say: When I am 
dead, may God still give me a great many years of 
life, I wish to be a strong and mighty Spirit. I will 
say ; to be a strong and mighty Spirit, you must be on 
earth, a God fearing man or woman, kind to every- 
body, anxious to do, always, the right thing. 


CHAPTER IX. 


THE INITIATION 


Colleges, barracks, warships have their initiation, 
so have the Spirits of the lower spheres. The initia- 
tion period in the lower spheres, (Spirits call them 
the devil’s spheres,) lasts three months, unless a Spi- 
rit shows himself rebellious and recalcitrant, in this 
case, Spirits double the dose. As soon as the new 
comers are sound in mind and body, or in other | 
words, as soon as they have gone over their grief, 
they begin their novitiate, the initiation period be- 
gins for them. Spirits think you should be acclima- 
tized six weeks after your arrival, as their etheric 
climate is so healthy and delightful. Spirits of the 
lower spheres never forget this hated period, which 
is for them full of hardships. It is, only, at the end 
of the initiation period, that Spirits say “thou” to 
new comers during all the time of the initiation, 
they say “You” to them; at the close of the’ initia- 
tion period, they are judged worthy of the “Thou.” 
Before I tell some of the hardships, imposed on new 
comers, I must state most categorically, most em- 
phatically, that I strongly disapprove of such de- 
grading practices. It is, only, recently I have assum- 
ed the rule of the dead, all my efforts are directed to 
root out, to stamp out those infamous practices. I be- 
lieve that soon they will be things of the past, they 
are unworthy of men and still more of Spirits. The 
word mistreatment is not strong enough to stigma- 
tize these horrible practices, which should justly 
be called torments, tortures. 

Spirits disguise these torments under the euphen- 
ism of punishments. The word “punishment” 
sounds ugly enough but not so ugly as torment. The 
chief punishment inflicted on new comers is ; mater- 


32 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


ialization and dematerialization; Spirits like to be 
brief and just say: M.D. It is a very painful process 
to pass four or five times in succession through the 
two forms; the etheric body and the Point. After 
the fourth drill, (Spirits call each M.D. a drill) the 
new comers are on the verge of collapse, often un- 
conscious for hours. New comers go through this 
drill every other day, during three long months, 
which for them seem like centuries. There are many 
minor punishments besides the chief one: Material- 
ization, Dematerialization. Every day, they must 
swing around in a circle, during ten good minutes, at 
the expiration of the ten minutes, they are dizzy, 
they can hardly stand. If new comers do not put 
enough pep in their swing, they are abused by the 
bystanders, who are not shy at administering to 
them slaps and kicks. At the conclusion of this min- 
or drill, they are not allowed much rest, they are 
made to answer criticisms on their life or explain 
certain acts not sufficiently elucidated during “the 
Vomiting ;’” they are harassed, new comers say, dev- 
iled, for a couple of hours. Novices do not know the 
meaning of the word “Freedom,” they are all the 
time under the strictest supervision of their trainers. 
Trainers are old timers, appointed by the Spirits’ 
Council to train and discipline the new comers, to 
break them to all the rules and regulations of the 
circle; a sphere is divided into circles. New comers 
have their working hours and their recreation hours 
mapped out at the beginning of their probation time; 
they are, even, entitled to a day of rest a week. 
Working hours are spent in all kinds of drills; M.D. 
head movements swinging of arms and legs, tip toe 
walk. Recreation hours are spent just as agreeably, 
just'as pleasantly. During their rest hours, new 
comers receive the visit of all those whom they have 
defrauded on earth. Their victims have the right, 
and they use it, to insult and mistreat them. If 
you have neither robbed, cheated nor defrauded any 
one, you receive unwelcome callers all the same. All 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 33 


the persons you have disliked, despised and hated 
on earth, call on you, to offer you their best and most 
heartfelt congratulations over your belated dismiss. 
On the day of rest, which is usually Sunday, no haz- 
ing takes place. The duty of new comers is to en- 
tertain Spirits with stories, songs and dances. Spi- 
rits like stories, full of humor and thrills. I would 
advise the new comer to do his best, as a good story 
teller gains quickly the respect and the friendship 
of Spirits. Should the Spirits be delighted with the 
story, they probably exempt the new comer from drill 
for a whole week. Entertainers are always much in 
demand, and a new comer who is a first class story 
teller, will probably be requested to join the circle’s 
cohort of entertainers, cutting short by a good many 
weeks his probation time. 


CHAPTER X. 
RULES, REGULATIONS AND CUSTOMS OF SPIRITS 


The novitiate of the new comers is at end, they can 
now look back on three long months of hardships 
and semi-slavery, with the well earned satisfaction 
of knowing they have paid in full their passage toll. 
Their probation time is over, they are now full 
fledged Spirits, although, during their first year in 
the sphere, they have special duties to fulfill and are 
subject to certain restrictions. New comers have 
now to learn their catechism; the rules, regulations 
and customs of their circle. A sphere, as I have 
stated before, is divided into circles, each circle living 
its own life having its own laws and customs. The 
number of circles in a sphere varies greatly, some 
spheres have as high as three hundred circles ; some, 
only, a few dozen. Relations between circles are 
correct but not intimate, Spirits like home life and 
like to stay at home; it is true each circle is a city 
in itself. 

There are cities and towns, by city, understand, a 
large circle with a Spirits’ population of two or three 
hundred thousand; by town, understand, a popula- 
tion of less than one hundred thousand. Spirits pre- 
fer cities, especially large cities, because life is so 
much more pleasant and lively, they don’t care for 
towns, which are dull and lifeless. The privilege of 
paying visits to other circles is restricted to old 
timers, it is a privilege much appreciated, as it 
breaks the monotony of home life, even, home loving 
Spirits are not adverse to taking trips. There is a 
virtue, the catechizers (old timers, who are in 
charge of the catechism classes, are named cate- 
chizers) try by all means to instill into the heads of 
new comers; it is humility. Spirits, I mean old tim- 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 35 


ers, are very much angered when new comers lack 
humility and show themselves arrogant and all know- 
ing, they exclaim, raving mad; you want to know as 
much as we, who have been here for years and years. 
One of the main rules taught by the catechism is: 
never speak to old timers unless addressed. Spirits, 
who have been there for years, form a kind of aris- 
tocracy and keep very much to themselves. They 
form a circle in the circle, called the inner circle, a 
circle very exclusive and dictatorial ; the inner cir- 
cle, in fact, rules the circle, makes laws and enforces 
them. New comers learn quickly to know a member 
of the inner circle, not only his skin is much darker 
than theirs, (inner circlers say, they are much more 
sunburnt, much more tanned) but everything in his 
precious person indicates some one high in authority. 
Inner circlers walk, always, very slowly and majes- 
tically, they seem, most of the time, to be on an in- 
spection tour. When an inner circler is passing, first 
year comers must stand at attention, refrain from 
conversation and stare at him. Spirits, often, com- 
pare their life to military life. I intend, as far as 
possible to break those military traditions, because 
they back strongly this relic of another age; Initia- 
tion. Spirits often boast of their military spirit, as 
long as they are proud of it, as long as they boast of 
it, hazing will go on, with all its degrading features. 
Spirits have time honored customs, which may sur- 
prise, which may amaze the earth people. On the 
first of November and on Memorial Day, when earth 
people are thinking of them and praying for them, 
they spend the whole day in dancing, resting just 
long enough to recover their breath. The abiding 
principle of Spirits, who are contrary people, is to 
make merry when earth people mourn and to weep 
when earth people rejoice. Consequently le jour des 
Morts. and Memorial Day are days of rejoicing. 
Christmas and Easter, days of mourning. 


CHAPTER XI. 


THE ETHERIC LIFE 


Is the etheric life superior to the earth life? many 
Spirits think so. Time exists in the spheres but not 
haste; Spirits don’t believe in haste, as time does not 
count where they are. As they dislike to hurry, they 
often call themselves “The Chinese of the Moon.” 
When they speak to one another, the conversation 
often lasts for hours, chiefly composed of questions 
and answers, as a rule, at the beginning, the talk 
runs this way: What country do you come from? 
Where were you born, how long have you been out of 
the flesh, were you lucky on earth, did you live to be 
old, what kind of a life do you prefer, the etheric 
life or the terrestrial life? There is, only, one an- 
swer to this last question; I prefer one thousand 
times the etheric life. Are Spirits honest in this 
sweeping affirmation; some are, some are not. Spi- 
rits are very wise and sensible in this; leave behind 
vain earthly regrets, adapt yourself to your life, find 
in it (the etheric life has many good sides) all the 
happiness you can. The chief complaint of new com- 
ers is, that on earth they had to work so hard, to 
slave from morning to night, having no time to rest 
or think. The etheric life affords Spirits golden op- 
portunities; education, knowledge, unlimited leisure 
to think, unhampered by physical care, and materi- 
al needs. The etheric life is not an end, it is a begin- 
ing. 

Spirits are a succcess or a failure. They are a 
success when they make up their mind to live an 
etheric life; they are a failure, when they obstinate 
themselves to live a terrestrial life in etherical re- 
gions. 


CHAPTER XII. 


ISRAEL RECONSTRUCTED 


Jews, on earth, live religiously and racially their 
own life, dead Jews live also their own life, etheri- 
cally and religiously. Jews form a kind of state in 
the state, they have their own etherical regions, 
their own spheres, their own circles; they rule them- 
selves. The Great Power who rules the Universe 
takes a special interest in the welfare and advance- 
ment of the Jewish Spirits. This, to prove that God 
still considers the Israelites his people, in spite of all 
their failings and shortcomings. It will be the 
Eternal Glory of the Jews to have conceived God as 
one, to have kept alive through centuries and cent- 
uries, in spite of all their tribulations the idea of the 
One God. I am immensely pleased to state, that 
the Jews in the Etherical Regions have been un- 
wavering in their faith and trust in Jehovah. I am 
also very glad to say, that the Jewish spheres are the 
best conducted spheres, the most orderly, the happi- 
est. The welcome, newcomers receive in the spheres, 
governed by Jews, is a real welcome, shorn of all 
irony and sarcasm. The Jewish initiation is very 
short and very mild, more funny than anything else. 
New comers pay their entrance fees, by narrating 
their funniest experiences on earth and telling of 
their migrations. New comers are, also, expected to 
be able to quote from the Talmud, passages relating 
to the restoration of Israel and to the coming of the 
One so long expected, so ardently desired. 

A Great Power is on earth, is the Peace Maker on 
earth? The Jews in the spheres send this message 
to their brethren on earth: if you have eyes; see; if 
you have ears; harken. The Israelites, who are dead, 
say the their brethren still in the flesh; the prophe- 


38 THE DOOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


cies of the Great Prophets of Israel will soon be ful- 
filled. The ruler of the Dead says:is the Third Temple 
looming up? I say to the Jews; there is but one God, 
who is the Almighty Ruler of the Universe! Etherics 
call God, the Father of the Seven Spirits, by Spirits, 
they mean, His Seven Forces. God is One with Seven 
Thinking Forces; these Great Forces are creative, 
ruling, and annihilating. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


THE DAILY LIFE OF SPIRITS 


Hour by hour, I will tell to the earth people the life 
of their departed in the etherical regions; sooner or 
later, I hope, not before many years, those who read 
me, will, also, have to leave the earth, cross the valley 
of death and come into my etheric empire. As I have 
stated before, time exists for the Spirits just as 
much as for the earth people. Spirits used to be, in 
spite of all their calculations, at least three hours be- 
hind standard time, since communications with the 
earth are open, Spirits have the exact time; when it 
is noon in New York, it is also noon in the spheres. 
One of the greatest wishes of Spirits, to be on time 
with the earth, is at last gratified. It is twelve 
o’clock in the spheres, noontime, as they have no 
clocks, Spirits, newcomers, replace them. They 
dance around, announcing the time: it is noon, it is 
noon; Spirits call them: the time Criers. The Criers 
are kept very busy because they must sound the 
quarters, the halves, and the hours, and, of course, 
calculate the time accurately. Nobody is especially 
anxious for the job, which requires a good voice and 
a good calculating head. Spirits start the day with 
twelve o’clock, noon time, and not with midnight. 
Good whistlers have an opportunity to show their 
talent by whistling, whistles make the noon hour, 
more impressive, more solemn. Good whistlers are 
numerous, because etheric breathing has a whistling 
sound. 

The conversation period is from twelve to two 
o’clock; Spirits divide the day into periods. Spirits 
gather in small groups, dancing, on account of the os- 
cillation of the sphere, backward and forward, all 
the time; everybody has a chance to talk, as they all 


40 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


speak In turn. The conversation period is the first — 
period. The second period from two to four o’clock 
is given to amusements; songs, music and dancing. 
Etheric voices are specially gifted for singing, the 
best opera companies on earth do not approach Spi- 
rits’ choirs, to hear Spirits sing, accompanied by 
their wonderful orchestras, gives the impression of 
being in Heaven. Spirits are so great imitators 
that they can reproduce the sound of any musical 
instrument. On Sunday, they never fail to imitate 
church bells. Dancing follows singing; dancing is a 
form of amusement very dear to Spirits, they keep 
posted through new comers on all the newest dances 
on earth and reproduce them. It is four o’clock, the 
third period of the day, the slumber period. Spirits 
scatter in every direction and for the first time hast- 
en, they hurry to betake themselves to their dormi- 
tories, to escape the ether tide, (Later on, I will ex- 
plain just what those dormitories are exactly.) The 
slumber period is well timed, after dancing, Spirits 
are tired and are glad to rest their etheric limbs, 
which as physical limbs know fatigue. The fourth 
period, probably for the Spirits the most interesting 
and the most important one, begins at ten o’clock, 
it is the welcome period. Spirits get up in very good 
humor, leave their dormitories to go and welcome 
new comers or rather to enjoy their astonishment. 
All turn out, slackers are few, all in high spirits. 
The introducers, the consolers, the exhorters, the 
amusers, are all there, ready to play their part. Spi- 
rits form themselves into groups, a group interro- 
gates the new comers, pokes fun at them, asks if 
they have paid their passage or brought any clothes. 
Another group listens to the new comers, vomiting 
their life and plies them with questions. Still an- 
other group more charitable may be than others, 
demonstrates to the new comers how to use their 
etheric arms and feet. At two o’clock, everybody is 
tired, exhausted, voiceless the ether tide carries 
back the Spirits, more or less gently, to their dormi- 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 41 


tories; the second tide is reputed to be treacherous. 
It is the second slumber period lasting until eight 
o’clock. This second sleeping period constitutes the 
fifth period. Eight o’clock A.M., in earth term, opens 
up the sixth period; the school period. The curricu- 
lum of the college includes; instruction in astrono- 
my, in etherics, in physiology; in mind reading, in 
mathematics and in thought wave transmission. At 
ten o’clock, all the students are glad, the school is 
over and Spirits enter the seventh and last period of 
the day; the thinking period, called also by Spirits, 
the meditation or the concentration period. During 
the thinking period they are in the Point form; they 
are in the etheric form, during all the other periods. 
At twelve o’clock sharp, all the twinkling eyes are 
again etherics; Spirits call this a full day. 


CHAPTER XIV 


HAVE THE SPIRITS SEXES 


Biologists say: beings with two'sexes, male and 
female represent the lowest form of life. Spirits, 
according to themselves, being far more advanced, 
far more developed than earth people, have and 
should have, only one sex; the male sex. Women can 
only, retain their sex ten years at the most, unless 
they are very feminine, with absolutely nothing 
masculine in them. Twenty-years is about the lim- 
it a very feminine woman can remain a woman; in 
the end, the strong sex will gradually dominate the 
weak sex and finally absorb it. Women as a rule, 
have no objection to changing their sex, admitting 
the inanity of fighting against forces so much 
stronger than they, and in line with rational etheric 
developement. After ten years spent in the etherical 
regions, the transformation of women is in full 
swing and will not end until the Spirit, who was on 
earth a woman, has become a man, with all the attri- 
butes of the male sex. The first sign which indicates 
the transformation has started, is the breaking of 
the voice. Next, the mind influenced by the voice, 
by the male surroundings, and the yearning for the 
male sex, takes a masculine turn. 

As it is the mind which gives to the face its fa- 
cial characteristics, it will not be many years before 
the woman looks like a man. After an average of 
twenty-five years, it is impossible to say if a Spirit 
Was a man or a woman on earth. Women, who have 
been mothers, resist the transformation much bet- 
ter than maidens or childless women and can, with 
due precaution, retain their womanhood from forty 
to fifty years. The maternal love is a fire which seems 
to preserve the sex. Many women, on earth, wish to 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 43 


be men, their wish will be realized in the next life. 
The question of age will also please and satisfy 
everbody. Old men grow younger, young men grow 
older, after a certain number of years, they do not 
age any more one way or the other for two decades. 
After this spiritized period, to use their expression, 
they become etherized spirits, subject to all the 
great laws of Etheric. Etheric (the Great Force 
which rules the etherical regions, and the etheric 
planets) in due time, will make of etherized Spirits, 
full fledged Etherics, and open for them all its 
treasures. 


CHAPTER XV. 


GIFTS OF SPIRITS 


Spirits are gifted wonderfully in many directions. 
They possess the gift of imitation as nobody on 
earth. They can imitate, as I have said, any musical 
instrument, especially string instruments, to perfec- 
tion; there is not a noise, a sound, a cry on the face 
of the earth they cannot reproduce. One of the 
greatest pleasures of boys and young men is to imi- 
tate the cry of all kinds of animals and the imitation 
is as good as the original. My readers must not be 
too hard on my spirit young men, they have lots of 
time on their hands and any distraction is welcome, 
especially when it savours of the earth. The etheri- 
cal life offers unlimited possibilities for spiritual and 
intellectual developement, but none, of course, for 
manual work. Not all Spirits are intellectually in- 
clined, may prefer puerile distractions; Spirits like 
to imitate the rattling of the rain, claps of thunder, 
the passing of an express train, the sirens of ships. 
Spirits are also great for concentration, they would 
put to shame the greatest psychologists on earth. 
Their concentration is so powerful that it affects 
everybody around, they can sow contentment, dis- 
atisfaction, all kinds of feelings at will. Just by 
thinking strongly of an odor, they can make every- 
body smell it; like women on earth, they have their 
favorite perfumes. Spirits are particularly fond of 
violet, rose, lilac, heliotrope and lily of the valley. 
Each etheric body has its own odor; good Spirits 
spread a delicate fragrance of hawthorn; inferior 
Spirits, a smell, which reminds one, of musty bread. 
Spirits are also great mind readers; it is impossible 
to hide anything from them, strong Spirits read you 
as an open book; the mind out of the flesh centuples 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 45 


its powers. Spirits have a wonderful system of wire- 
less to communicate with all the spheres, two thou- 
gand and five hundred in number. They call their 
system: the flash system. The operators are called: 
the flashers. It is one of the greatest ambitions of 
strong Spirits, besides being a thought wave conver- 
sationalist, to be a good flasher. A description of 
this system would be too long and rather out of place 
in this book. It does not take Spirits more than half 
an hour to enter into communication with all the 
spheres. Spirits have tried for decades to send ether 
messages to the earth, but earth people up to now, 
have been irresponsive. The reason of their failure 
is that their ether messages could not filter through 
the air tight envelope of the earth. For myself, I 
communicate twice daily with the Spirits of the 
Spheres and of the Moon. One of the greatest gifts of 
Spirits, is their power of visualization with their 
powerful mind, they can throw on the receptive and 
transparent screen of the ether, any earth scenery, 
almost whole cities. Ether is very transparent, al- 
most crystalike, during the full etheric quarter. 


CHAPTER XVI. 
RETROSPECTIVE THOUGHTS OF SPIRITS 


From time to time Spirits review their life on 
earth, reconstruct their life as they should live it, if 
they could come back on earth. If they would start 
life all over again, what would they do? “All the 
good they can,” say the best of Spirits. Kindness 
may not pay on earth, but it does pay in the life 
after. Spirits often reproach themselves for having 
been too credulous on earth, for having accepted 
beliefs not at all in harmony with the great laws, 
which govern the Universe; Spirits say simply the 
oda Bik 

A great law rules the whole Universe, a law re- 
sumed in three words: birth, life and death; physical 
death gives birth to etheric life; etheric death gives 
birth to spiritual life. Spirits often ask one another 
this question: on earth, did you think for yourself ? 
Very few can answer in the affirmative. Saint John 
the evangelist begins his Gospel with these words: 
At the beginning was the Word, it should read: At 
the beginning was the Light or still better the Light- 
ning God, in Greek, Oeos, comes from the Sanscrit, 
Tos, the lightning. The best of Spirits agree if they 
would come back on earth, they would have three 
great aims in view; the abolition of wars, the feder- 
ation of nations and the fusion of all faiths. There 
is but One God, there should be but One Faith. The 
earth, is in may ways one of the most backward 
planets in the Universe; all planets except a dozen, 
including the earth, have abolished wars and done 
away with militarism. The inhabitants of Mars, who 
are at least five centuries ahead of the earth people, 
fought their last war three centuries ago, to be quite 
accurate, three hundred and twenty-six years ago. 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 47 


To scientists I will say that the Martians have known 
for, at least, two centuries, the earth is inhabited. 
In another book, I will throw open the planet Mars 
to earth people, to tell them of the brilliant civiliza- 
tion, of the wonderful achievements, of the high 
state of advancement, of its inhabitants who are a 
one sex race. Mars people call their planet “Maker,” 
the mother, and themselves the ‘Makerians.” Is 
the planet Mars dying, I will answer with a sten- 
torian: No. Do the famous Lowell Canals exist on 
Mars? I will answer again with a stentorian: No. 
The Earth and Mars, are the only planets in this 
Solar System, inhabited by physical beings, all the 
other planets, except Mercury and Jupiter, are peo- 
pled by etheric beings. In my book “on the Moon,” I 
will deal at length with Etherics and their life. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


THE AURA 


The Moon is the ruling planet of the spheres, their 
life, their breath and their light. Life on earth de- 
pends upon the Sun, life in the spheres depends upon 
the Moon. The earth receives its light, its heat, its 
energies from the Sun; the spheres receive their 
light, their vibrations, their etheric energies from 
the moon. The spheres, as I have said before, are. 
located in the orbit of the moon, and are, so to say, 
its satellites. At night, just by raising their eyes, 
earth people can see where their Dead are. The 
moon is a dead planet, in this sense only, that it is 
inhabited by the Dead, by the best of the Dead who 
have made good in the spheres. The spheres are 
lighted by the moon, splendidly lighted and at times 
are gorgeously illuminated. The light of the spheres 
is golden, giving to them the appearance of a huge 
mass of gold; over them is a cupola, bluish grey in 
color. Spirits call this cupola, this dome, the sky, 
but it is much lower than our sky and circular. The 
sky, speaking like Spirits, not only covers the sphere 
but surrounds it. Spirits say that their isle is topped 
by an immense canopy, a canopy bordered with 
fringe. The moon has four phases; the illumination 
of the spheres has also four different phases; illum- 
ination by the first etheric quarter, by the second 
etheric quarter, by the full etheric quarter and by 
the last etheric quarter. The illumination by the 
full etheric quarter is gorgeous, fairy-like, ten times 
more powerful than the earth’s daylight on a hot 
summer day. The illumination of the isle by the full 
etheric quarter is the most grandiose spectacle con- 
ceivabie. When the sphere is illuminated by the full 
etheric quarter, gloom, depression, earth regrets are 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 49 


banished, and it is a time of great rejoicing; the 
Spirits sing and dance most of the time. The full 
etheric quarter brings good times; the last etheric 
quarter brings hard times. The illumination by the 
last etheric quarter is poor, and during all of the last 
phase, the isle is in semi-darkness. The Spirits say 
they are experiencing winter, and that is true, for 
the isle is wintry and they are depressed. The last 
etheric quarter not only gives a poor light but it also 
brings etheric storms. The isles, especially at the 
base of the pyramid, are swept by etheric wind 
storms, cyclonic in character. These wind storms 
rise from the seas, circling the moon and are pro- 
duced by violent oscillations of the planet, and for 
certain etheric reasons they always take place dur- 
ing the last quarter. At times, the wind is so strong 
that Spirits must seek the shelter of their dormitor- 
ies. New comers with no previous experience, are 
exhorted to venture out; the wind rolls them about 
as a ball or swings them in circles. As soon as the 
storm subsides they dash into the dormitories, very 
bruised, their heads on fire, almost unconscious. 
Spirits, during the second etheric quarter and still 
more during the full etheric quarter, feel full of pep, 
because these two phases accelerate the circulation 
of the ether current which runs through all their 
body. This ether current is the life blood of the 
etheric body, its heart and its lungs. The current 
has its root in the left foot, follows the leg, makes 
a small circle at the base of the trunk, runs inside 
the body on the left side, enters the head through the 
left ear, feeds both eyes and goes out on the right 
side of the head, forming around and over the head 
a luminous halo which Spirits call their aura. After 
their first decade in the spheres, Etheric presents 
Spirits with three ether bags which give them the 
power of etherization. These bags are disposed in 
the form of a triangle on the left side of the trunk. 
The ether current is influenced, as I have said, by 
the fluctuations of the etheric light. Spirits are full of 


50 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


strength during the second etheric quarter and dur- 
ing the full etheric quarter, fairly robust during the 
first etheric quarter, weak during the last etheric 
quarter, while the halo, or the aura, as the Spirits 
call it, during the rule of the last etheric quarter, 
loses its luminosity and becomes dull. 

My readers probably would like to ask how long 
the etheric life may last. It can last almost indefi- 
nately, depending upon the aura. The aura has the 
wonderful power to rejuvenate itself every ten years, 
but after two or three centuries, unless there is a 
change of etheric climate, the aura will languor, de 
cline and finally die. . 

Etherics, as soon as the first symptoms of old age 
make their appearance, must leave for other etheric 
regions, for planets charged with more electricity. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 
NEWS SERVICE 


Each circle has its own newspaper, edited by the 
scribes, managed by an administrator. During the 
world war, which Spirits followed with lively inter- 
est, without taking sides, on account of their inter- 
nationalism, the newspaper had two editions, a morn- 
ing and an evening edition. (Spirits often hear this 
admonition: You are neither American, nor French, 
nor English, nor German: you are Spirits.) At times 
of crises, of major offensives, of great battles the 
newspaper had three editions, an extra edition at 
noon. During the last phase of the war, Spirits 
caught the war fever in full and asked for an edition 
every hour, but the administrator of the circle drew 
the line and rather than submit, offered his resigna- 
tion; his scribes stood back of him. The Spirits 
capitulated and resigned themselves to three editions 
a day; they knew, if they had insisted, they would 
have found themselves without news, and, rather 
than face this eventuality, gave up the idea of keep- 
ing informed hour by hour. Spirits knew also it 
takes a long time to form good reporters, who must 
extract all the news from new comers, who are often 
sullen. Nevertheless, Spirits have an excellent news 
service; and claim they hear news quicker than 
country people. They know everything of interest 
which happens on any part of the globe. The news- 
paper is, of course, oral, one of the reporters being 
the morning or the evening edition. The newsman 
stands in the center of a large group of Spirits and 
publishes all the news, gathered by himself or the 
other reporters; occasionally he colors the news or 
invents yarns as newspaper men on earth do. 


CHAPTER XIX. 
OPERAS, THEATRES AND MOVIES 


Spirits have operas, go to theatres, watch movies, 
just as earth people. They are very proud of their 
opera companies, of their actors and of their movie 
stars. If a circle possesses a very good opera com- 
pany or great actors, the other circles of the sphere 
try by all means to hear them. Opera singers and 
actors to visit other circles, must obtain the author- 
ization of their inner circle. (the inner circle con- 
stitutes the government of the circle.) This per- 
mission is always reluctantly given, each circle wants 
to live its own life; for myself I do not see the slight- 
est reason for such obstruction, I intend to throw 
down the barriers which separate the circles. Spirits 
pride themselves to be, not more than one year be- 
hind the earth, for theatre plays, and movies. Spi- 
rits love operas, must hear at least one opera a week; 
they have asked me to tell the earth people their 
favorite operas: Faust, Lohengrin, Tanhauser, Rig- 
oletto, Trovatore. Spirits are always on the look out 
for genius and often discover great talents who 
passed unnoticed on earth. Gifted musicians, tal- 
ented actors, birdlike singers are exempted from most 
of the initiation forms. Spirits are not long at re- 
producing the latest earth’s movies; ether is very 
receptive for messages and pictures. Movie actors, 
drawing on their minds, flash on the screen every 
picture of the play; each picture as good, as faithful, 
as perfect as the original. Saturday concerts are al- 
ways well attended. Spirits, even, those who did not 
know a single note on earth, have a very good ear for 
music, Spirits say; the sonority of the etheric at- 
mosphere opens the ears and loosens the tongue of 
every new comer. Sounds vibrate in the ether for 
hours, after their discharge. 


CHAPTER XX. 
THE SPHERE 


I could best compare a sphere to a cork island or 
rather to a sponge island, the sponge island floats in 
the ocean; the sphere floats in the ether. The sphere 
is not quite round, the circle is bent somewhat inside 
on both sides; originally the sphere was a perfect 
circle, but the oscillations, the sphere oscillates con- 
tinuously from one side to the other as the pendulum 
of a clock, have caused those bends. Spheres vary 
greatly in size, many are large islands, some, tiny 
isles. Large islands have a surface between one 
thousand and three thousand acres; the surface of 
small isles does not exceed six hundred acres. Spi- 
rits call often their sphere a ship, a vessel almost 
stationary on a sea of ether; the ship moves but 
little although, at times, severely beaten and assailed 
by fierce etheric storms. The oscillations of the 
sphere are perfectly perceptible to Spirits, new com- 
ers at first are inconvenienced by this pitching but 
rapidly get used to it. ‘Spirits say,new comers are sea 
sick and must acquire sailor legs.) It would be an 
error to picture the island as flat, the island slopes 
in three steps, expressing myself as Spirits, and is 
divided into three parts: the upper part, the central 
part and the lower part. Spirits have their own 
geographical terms, they call the upper part, the 
highland; the central part, the middleland; and the 
lower part, the lowland. The buildings, built of 
stonified ether, are located in the upper part of the 
island. I could almost compare these buildings to 
huge hollow rocks; these buildings are not the handi- 
work of beings but have been piled up, stoned up, 
by etheric storms in the course of the last three 
thousand years. Spirits use these buildings for 


54 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


dormitories, halls, club houses. When storms are 
raging, (storms are always raging during the last 
etheric quarter,) Spirits keep indoors, killing time 
the best way they can, just as earth people when it 
is raining or snowing. Etheric wind storms resemble 
greatly tornadoes, they work in cycles, describing 
circles always narrower and narrower until they 
form a cone which spits out lightnings. During the 
three other etheric quarters, Spirits spend most of 
their time out of doors, coming only indoors to slum- 
ber. The spheres have, like the sea, a tide, an in- 
coming tide and an outgoing tide, for both, the moon 
is responsible. Around four o’clock P. M. a very 
thick tide of ether covers the island, invading the 
buildings and flooding them. Soon the buildings 
are full of bluish grey fog, read, of thick ether. 
This ether tide rises to the height of six feet, lifting 
up the Spirits, and stretching them in a bed of ether, 
which swings as a hammock. At ten o’clock the tide 
withdraws, laying down the slumberers more or less 
gently on the rocky floor. At two o’clock A. M. the 
tide comes back to put the Spirits to bed again and 
at eight o’clock rolls back to the sea, giving them 
this time, before retiring, a few good shakes up and 
down. Tides originate in the sea in which the islands 
are situated, Spirits call this etheric sea, the Dead 
‘Sea or the Black Sea; for myself I call it the Meridian 
‘Sea, because it occupies the center between the Moon 
and a very small planet, undiscovered by earth as- 
tronomers which I call the Moonlet. 

In my chapter on the Moon, I will write a few lines 
about this minuscule planet, highly interesting in 
every respect. 


CHAPTER XXI. 
HOLIDAYS IN THE SPHERES 


Spirits grant themselves holidays at the beginning 
of each trimestre, holidays lasting three days, which 
are devoted to merry making, songs and dances. No 
school, no lessons, no lectures during the holiday 
season. Spirits often play truant, prolong the holi- 
day season, miss school for a whole week. They 
have to pay for their truantcy, they have to make up 
for the last time, by studying much harder and much 
longer. Spirits, weeks ahead, look forward to the 
holiday season, not only because it breaks the mon- 
otony of their existence but chiefly on account of 
the mail. Mail is delivered four times a year, this 
mail distribution is an event of the first importance. 
During the holiday season, on account of the vol- 
uminous mail, even new comers take a back seat, 
little or no attention being paid to them. Each Spi- 
rit gets mail, letters, cards, telegrams from their 
relatives, friends, acquaintances, scattered among all 
the isles of the Peninsula. ‘Spirits call the agglomer- 
ation of isles; the Peninsula.) Everbody is busy 
writing back, that is to say, hammering in the minds 
of messengers their answers. Most of the aerial 
mail messengers (it is the name given them by 
Spirits) are wonders. They can cram into their heads 
thousands and thousands of messages and deliver 
them faithfully, almost word for word. Telegrams, 
like on earth, bring only news of first importance, 
often they read this way: uncle on his last leg, 
daily expected; Cousin Harry reported as good as 
dead, watch for him, might strike your isle; Aunt 
Mary coughing her lungs out, but too stingy to con- 
sult a specialist, soon due. 

It is the eternal complaint of Spirits, that so many 


56 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


people stay on earth, so long after their time of 
usefulness is over; when very old people show up, 
they are rebuked for being so overdue. The old peo- 
ple rebuffed, reply: why do you grudge us those few 
years of life. The Spirits give the time honored 
answer: because you were a burden to yourselves, 
to your relatives and to society. Confronted by 
such a sensible answer, old people keep mum. Dur- 
ing the holiday season, the members of the inner cir- 
cle aristocracy condescend to mingle with the com- 
mon herd, but as soon as the quarterly festival is 
over, they resume their aloofness and retake the 
dignity they divested for the holiday season. 


CHAPTER XXII. 
THE ETHERICS 


Etherics is the name given by Spirits to most in- 
telligent beings, who have never lived on earth or on 
any other material planet. Etherics are natives of 
the etherical regions and spend their whole existence 
there. In my fifth chapter, I have spoken of pilots, 
who, in the seas bordering the Moon, pilot the dead 
to shore and of guides who guide them to their des- 
tination; those pilots, those watchers, those guides 
are not Spirits but Etherics. The messengers who 
cover the whole Peninsula are, also, Etherics of the 
first magnitude. They can fiy, Etherics say ether- 
ize, from the base of the pyramid to the top, scour- 
the outside seas of the Moon and even land on the 
Moon itself. Those Etherics are wonderful beings, 
possessing ten times more brain than the brightest 
men on the earth, seeking all the time to increase 
their knowledge, pumping, for this purpose, all the 
informations they can from the new comers. Those 
Etherics are long lived, they live easily from four to 
five hundred years, they grow in an etheric sense 
during the first hundred years and are in the prime 
of etheric life, during the two following hundred 
years and decline after. 

-They are a one sex race but pass all the same 
through both sexes, the male and the female. Ether- 
ics are born male, remain male until they are fifty, 
then lose their sex and its attributes and become fe- 
male. They remain female during about fifty years, 
bearing children every ten years. When Etherics 
are over one hundred years old, they discard, speak- 
ing like they do, the female sex to retake the male 
sex with all its attributes. They change sex four 
times during their lifetime, when very old, they be- 


58 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


come again female, but, of course, remain fruitless. 
Spirits, with little etheric power, cannot leave their 
sphere and have to depend upon Etherics to assure 
communications between all the isles of the Penin- 
sula. Earth people are subject to the laws of nature 
and must observe them under penalty of retribution, 
Spirits and still much more Etherics-are under the 
great laws of “Etheric” and must always take them 
into consideration. Etherics are much more solidly 
built than Spirits, their etheric senses much more 
highly developed. Etherics can see hundreds of 
miles away, hear etheric sounds one thousand miles 
distant; they have a sense lacking with Spirits; the 
sense of direction. Spirits have a voice more power- 
ful than they had on earth; the voices of Etherics 
carry easily twenty miles away; new comers shiver 
when they hear them. Sound reigns supreme in the 
Etherical Regions, coming immediately next to 
lightning. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 
SPIRIT CHILDREN IN THE ETHERICAL REGIONS 


Tiny islands are reserved exclusively for children, 
they are brought up by Etherics and not by Spirits. 
Many of them are promising Etherics and destined 
to an etheric life and not to a spirit life. Etherics 
think they are much better qualified to take charge 
of spirit children than Spirits themselves. Etherics 
say the younger they come, the better it is for them. 
Eight or nine years of age is an ideal age for child- 
ren to come, as they adapt themselves so much easi- 
er and so much quicker to their new life than older 
children. Spirit childrenmake good Etherics, grasping 
fairly well the etheric laws which govern etheric life 
but however remain always inferior to born Etherics. 
When children come after the age of ten, they bring 
with them earth regrets, they cherish earth visions, 
they treasurecertain memories, which handicap them. 
Are Spirit children much different from earth child- 
ren? They are in this respect: they like sports not 
games. The great ambition of spirit children is to 
learn to fly, to become star fliers, (Etherics say; 
etherisers of the first magnitude.) Spirit children, 
like etheric children, are great mathematicians and 
can tell accurately at what distance is the moon, the 
center of their own Universe, from the sun and from 
all the planets. Etheric children are great linguists 
mastering besides their own tongue, a guttural and 
monosyllabic language, which they call the moon 
idiom, the chief languages of the earth. Many ether- 
ic children at the age of ten have a wonderful com- 
mand of French, English, German and Spanish. 

Etherics, try by all means, to instill into their 
own children and into their adopted children, a 
strong will power and a great confidence in them- 


60 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


selves and in their abilities. They are never tired 
of repeating to children: have a will of your own, 
have a mind of your own. The etheric life demands 
a strong will power combined with a brainy mind; 
if there is no brain, no will power, only a shadowy 
etheric life is to be expected. Spirit children, when 
they are grown up, are ashamed to admit they were 
born on Earth and as much as possible hide this 
fact: Etheric I was born and Etheric I am; such is 
their proud boast. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 
THE SPHERES OF THE FIRST STRATUM 


The spheres of the first stratum, situated at the 
base of the Pyramid are the least desirable, swept 
as they are by etheric storms, degenerating almost 
always into terrific, electric storms. The storm 
during the first hour, is etheric, during the second 
hour, turns electric. It is a grand and terrifying 
spectacle to see the electric cyclone describe huge 
rings of fire, the rings getting wider and wider all 
the time, until the whole island is transformed into 
a lake of fire. Old timers (new comers are too fright- 
ened to stare) from their safe shelter watch the 
wonderful pyrotechnic display (Spirits say: fire- 
works.) The isle is a lake of fire of all colors, colors 
much more vivid than earthly colors; one end of the 
island is deep purple, the center is scarlet red, the 
other end is vivid green. When the storm subsides, 
lighter colors appear as: pink, azure, lavender, and 
orange. Spirits call these colors “the rainbow” be- 
cause they triumphantly herald the end of the storm. 
After a severe electric storm, the isle remains 
shrouded in a dense smoke for a couple of hours, a 
smoke which burns and could set etheric bodies a- 
fire, if Spirits ventured out. It is only three hours 
after the storm, Spirits can leave their shelter with 
impunity. Spheres of the first stratum are more or 
less alike, visited or rather afflicted periodically by 
etheric and electric storms of the first magnitude. 
Spirits do not object to those storms and with rare 
exceptions, like them when accustomed to their 
whistling and to their roaring; storms alternatively 
whistle and roar. Etheric storms roar more than 
whistle; Electric storms whistle more than roar. 
Etherics, like Spirits, have their own slang, they 


62 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


call etheric storms “whistlers;”’ electric storms 
“roarers.” The spheres of the first stratum, being 
least desirable, on account of the severe storms 
which honor them, and also on account of the glare 
of the light (the light of the other strata is much 
softer) are attributed to those who on earth have 
led a mean, wicked and selfish life . The company 
found in spheres of the first stratum is, of course, 
crude, ignorant but often, infernally wicked; the way 
of the transgressor is hard in the next life. As far 
as possible certain spheres are affected to certain 
nationalities, for this reason there are spheres 
where Americans constitute the majority; 
in this case, it is said the sphere is Amer- 
ican owned. There are spheres which are American 
owned, French owned, German owned, South Ameri- 
can owned, Italian owned. I have not yet come to 
any conclusion concerning this system of affecting 
certain spheres to certain nationalities. I think in 
this discrimination there are advantages and disad- 
vantages; some Spirits are in favor of it, most of 
them opposed to it. For myself, I would prefer, 
without taking the nationality into consideration, to 
assemble together, Spirits of the same culture, of the 
same mentality, cherishing the same ideals. If the 
first straters (I name first straters, the dwellers of 
the spheres located in the first stratum of the Pyra- 
mid) deserve it, they are promoted and sent to a 
higher stratum, to a better and more advanced 
sphere. The Etherics and the Dead of this solar sys- 
tem, are ruled by a Force, who is a divine Emana- 
tion; in my lectures I will explain: the working of 
this Great Force. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE SPHERES AND 
THE EARTH ARE OPEN 


Since the last six centuries, Spirits had prophecies 
predicting that in the first part of the twentieth cen- 
tury, they would be ruled from the earth by a pow- 
er in the flesh. Century old prophecies are fulfilled, 
the Dead since the beginning of 1924 are ruled by a 
Power on earth, a member of the “Firm Universe 
and Eternity.” The Living and the Dead today form 
almost one; I am the Bond uniting them. There is a 
weekly service of etheric messengers between the 
spheres and the earth. Each stratum has its own 
corps of messengers recruited among the best and 
fastest etherizers. The Dead of the Moon are totally 
independent of the Peninsula and have their own 
special Earth service. Every week in the year, mes- 
sengers leave the spheres or the Moon for the earth; 
every week in the year, messengers leave the earth 
for the moon and the Peninsula. Etheric Messen- 
gers stay about two weeks on earth, resting, before 
they go back; they bring me the news of the spheres, 
the wishes and complaints of the Spirits. Strong and 
powerful Etherics as they are, they make the trip 
to the moon in less than three hours. Dead make 
the trip plunged in etheric unconsciousness; Ether- 
ics, in lucid unconsciousness. No longer are the 
Spirits cut off from the earth, no longer are the 
Living cut off from their Dead. Death has lost its 
sting, earth people know where they will go and what 
they have to expect; the Door of Death so sealed up, 
so barred up, so locked up, is wide open. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 


SPHERES OF THE FIFTH STRATUM 


The spheres of the first stratum are at the base of 
the Pyramid; the spheres of the fifth stratum are 
at the point of the Pyramid. The first stratum’s 
spheres border a stormy ocean; the fifth stratum’s 
spheres border a pacific ocean. The best spheres are 
found on the fifth stratum, the worst ones of course 
on the first stratum. The atmosphere of a fifth 
stratum’s sphere is entirely different from all others; 
happiness and contentment reign in the sphere; 
many Spirits say they are far more happy and con- 
tented than they were on earth. Free of material 
cares and earthly anxieties, they can devote them- 
selves entirely to studies and researches. Etheric 
and electric storms die out before they reach the 
fifth stratum; the fifth straters know them by hear- 
say and through descriptions. The largest islands 
are on the fifth stratum, some really are pricipalities 
and rightly deserve the name of wonderful spheres. 
Not only are fifth stratum’s spheres sheltered from 
storms but their light has all the force of the other 
strata, minus the glare. The buildings on the islands 
of the fourth and fifth strata are very spacious and 
imposing. The buildings on the lower strata look 
grottolike and are half under ground. The build- 
ings on the upper strata look often arenalike. They 
form an arena which circles the islands; the arena 
looks very much as the Coliseum in Rome. On some 
islands, the arena goes all around, on others forms a 
half circle only. The edifices of the spheres of the 
fourth and fifth stratum resemble, also, often, the 
nave of a gothic cathedral, aisles running on 
both sides; they have, like all the great 
cathedrals, catacombs. New comers, familiar 
with the great gothic cathedrals of Western Europe 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 65 


have the impression of finding themselves in one of 
them, which would have been transported, as by a 
miracle, in the exterior seas of the Moon. I will 
probably amaze my readers when I say that the 
great gothic cathedrals are almost faithfully repro- 
duced, but on a much bigger scale and, even, have 
spires, towers and domes. Spirits and Etherics di- 
vide the palaces into buildings and into edifices; 
buildings are arena-like; edifices are cathedral-like. 
Etheric, master Etheric, the greatest of all archi- 
tects, took about five thousand years to erect those 
majestic monuments. 

If Father Etheric could see, he would certainly be 
proud of his work, which equals in majesty and mag- 
nificence the most beautiful buildings erected by 
men. Spirits, living on the islands at the top of the 
Pyramid, are very little interested in earthly affairs, 
being so well satified with their leisurely existence. 
They often say: we are through with the earth, we 
look forward not backward. The welcome, they ex- 
tend to new comers without being warm and effusive, 
is cordial and sympathetic. New comers are left 
off easy, their club dues are not high; they vomit 
their life, sing a few stirring songs, tell a few hum- 
orous stories. Fifth straters, boast of being kind 
Charon, who do not charge much to cross new com- 
ers over the Styx; they are justly proud that their 
barque is light, meaning inexpensive. The fifth 
stratum’s spheres are one of the stations on the way 
to eternal life, on the way to Heaven. Good Spirits, 
after having fufilled certain spiritual and etherical 
conditions leave for the Moon where they lead an 
etheric existence in all its fullness. The top spheres 
of the Pyramid are but a stepping stone to the neigh- 
boring planet, the Moon, where are the Dead, who 
have reached a high state of spiritual developement 
and who have mastered the elementary laws of 
Etheric. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 
SPIRITS GOVERN THEMSELVES 


Spirits govern themselves, each sphere is auton- 
omous; each sphere has its own laws, rules and cus- 
toms. Spirits elect all their officials, the duties of 
those officials are manifold; a great deal of tact, dip- 
lomacy and patience is required of them. The high- 
ests posts of the circle hierarchy is the post of admin- 
istrator; on his shoulders, rests the rather heavy 
burden of the administration of his circle. He must 
provide news, amusements, lectures, games for his 
subjects, who are far from easy to please, he must 
placate every subordinate who is out of temper and 
dissatisfied, he must calm and appease every irate 
and disgruntled Spirit. The diplomatic service is 
a career open, only, to the lucky ones who pass suc- 
cessfully a most severe examination on spirit laws 
and customs. Many applicants, few elect. To be 
an ambassador, is a very enviable position, un poste 
tres recherche’ as the envoy visits, on official busi- 
ness, all the spheres of his stratum. The chief jus- 
tice of peace settles differences between Spirits, he 
has an arduous task as Spirits at times, are not ad- 
verse to quarreling. The duty of the pacificator is 
to maintain peace, harmony and concord between 
Spirits; in the lower spheres it is an ungrateful 
task as Spirits are often on the war path and full of 
fight. There are, besides the superior positions, 
many minor ones which entitle the holder to many 
privileges and carry with them a great deal of pres- 
tige. Scribes record the “Vomiting of lives” and 
spread news. Admonishers rebuke unruly Spirits, 
their warnings are limited to seven. The disciplin- 
arian imposes punishments on repeater offenders, he 
is feared and respected. Exhorters, as their name 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 67 


indicates, exhort forcibly new comers to forget the 
earth and accept the inevitable; if after many ex- 
hortions, they do not, even, succeed in making them: 
resigned, they are discharged and replaced by Regret. 
Makers. Regret Makers attempt the job, by using 
an entirely different method, they do their utmost 
to intensify the earth regrets of new comers, they 
make them frantic with earthly thoughts and earth- 
ly visions. Sometimes they succeed, more often 
they fail in their mission. Preachers, every Sunday, 
address the Spirits of the circle in fiery harangues, 
trying to inculcate into them the wish, the desire to 
raise themselves morally and spiritually; often, 
too often, their appeals fall on deaf ears. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


THE MOONERS AND THE ISLANDERS 


There are Etherics and Etherics; there are Ether- 
ics of the first magnitude, of the second, of the third 
and fourth magnitude. All Etherics reach a vener- 
able age, death seems to forget many of them; cen- 
turies roll by, leaving them untouched, just making 
them wiser and shrewder. Count five hundred years 
of life for an Etheric of the first magnitude, four 
hundred for a second magnitude Etheric, three hun- 
dred for an Etheric of the third magnitude, two hun- 
dred for a fourth magnitude Etheric. Some Etherics 
of the first magnitude proudly boast they go back to 
the discovery of America, that is to say, they were 
living in 1492. Old Etherics are well acquainted with 
the French and English history, they often pay 
this compliment to Frenchmen; You have the great- 
est history of all nations, we know that your history 
is largely the history of Europe; with the English, 
you have left your stamp, they prefer to use the 
French word “empreinte” on all the parts of the 
globe. Although Etherics have never been on earth, 
they know historically and geographically every 
country of the earth, there is not a city or even a 
town they do not know. They are very familiar 
with the great continent of North America, and 
have a high regard for Americans, but are just as 
familiar with the immense Chinese empire or mys- 
terious India. Etherics could not understand why 
Asia, Europe and America, with all their culture and 
learning, were unable to find out the truth about 
death and survival. They reasoned this way: the 
moon comes from the earth, earth people should have 
sense enough to understand that everything which 
leaves the earth, must come here, and according to 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 69 


all laws of reason, of logic and of common sense, 
cannot go elsewhere; originally the earth and moon 
were one, etherically they are still one. Etherics are 
to be found in the Moon and in the Peninsula, the 
Etherics of the Moon are called Mooners; the Ether- 
ics of the Peninsula are called Islanders. Mooners 
are etherically more strongly built than the Island- 
ers, their senses are still more highly developed, be- 
cause the etheric atmosphere of the Moon is charged 
with more electricity than the ether of the Penin- 
sula. There has been for centuries, for ages, a keen 
rivalry between the Mooners and the Islanders; the 
Sons of the Moon are more educated, more cultured 
and more refined than the Insulars, who blame their 
insularity, their isolation, for the lack of polished 
manners. 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


ETHERIC SENSES 


The superiority of the etheric body over the phy- 
sical body consists in its mobility and in its senses 
Strong and mighty Etherics can cover a radius of 
one hundred thousand miles in about one hour time; 
Etherics of the fourth magnitude, at the most, a 
twenty-five thousand miles radius in three hours 
time. Etherics are very vain and boastful about their 
radius and their speed time; many are not afraid of 
exaggeration. Etherics have two great topics of 
conversation; the radius they can cover and the 
speed to which they can etherize. As soon as a 
dozen Etherics are together, they begin to discuss 
those eternal questions. the radius limit and the 
speed time; more than once the lie is passed around. 
Etherics often challenge one and another to radius 
duel or speed duel; to be a winner in such contests is 
an honor very coveted, which ranks the triumpher 
as the Etheriser of Etherisers. Etherics never fail 
to present to Spirits of mark, that is to say, to Spi- 
rits who have held high positions on earth, their 
King Etherisers; they have, as they knew so well to 
do on earth, to compliment and congratulate. Ether- 
ics are real birds who cannot remain long without 
using “their wings;”’ they take up the ether, almost 
every day, not to get rusted. 

Etherics have many more senses than planetar- 
ians, besides our five physical senses (theirs are, of 
course, much more highly developed) they possess 
many other senses. The sense of direction; they are 
always aware in what direction they are etherizing, 
they never get lost. The sense of scenting dangers; 
dangers in the form of etheric and electric storms, 
hours before, they know a storm is coming. The 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 71 


sense of altitude; they know almost exactly at what 
height they are flying. The sense of distance which 
enables them to know, within a few miles, at what 
distance they are from such and such etheric point. 
The sense of speed; they can always tell at what 
mile speed they are etherizing, they never make the 
slightest mistake about what they call speed mile- 
age. The sense of etheric time, which is regulated 
in their Regions by the Tides. They have always to 
know what etheric time it is, because they must fill 
up their bodies, at irregular intervals, with ether; 
they take a strong dose of ether if the tide time is 
still a few hours distant and a small dose if the tide 
is near. The sense of ether, which they call also the 
sense of weight; in certain regions, ether is lighter 
or heavier than in some others. Etherics must reg- 
ulate their flight according to the ether weight. 
Etherics have mapped out all the Moon’s Regions, 
they know accurately whereare such and such Points, 
such and such Zones. They use Points to know at 
what distance they are from the Moon or from the 
Peninsula, as distances are calculated from either. 
Etherics divide the ether into three zones: strong 
ether zones, mild ether zones, weak ether zones. In 
the strong ether zones, they do not breathe at all; in 
the mild ether zones, they must inhale every half 
hour; in the weak ether zone they must fill up their 
bodies every five minutes. Useless to say, they 
avoid, as much as possible, the weak ether zones. 
Islanders ask me to tell earth people that, although 
etherically weaker, they have, all the same, the best 
and fastest etherisers, their Kings of Ether are 
without peers. Etherics, when they are etherizing, 
resemble somewhat skaters in their feet, they swing 
their mighty arms around; they say that they have 
four wings: their two circling arms and their two 
zigzaging feet. 


CHAPTER XXX. 


DOES DEATH CURE EVERY ILL? 


Earth people have the strange idea, Spirits say 
the queer idea, not to use a stronger word, that 
death cures every ill, restores everybody to normalcy, 
makes everybody whole. Idiots, insane, feeble-mind- 
ed are just as idiotic, as insane, as weak minded 
over there as they were on earth. They have 
changed place but they have not changed state. They 
are exactly in the same distressing state they were 
on earth. Most of them, in fact, are far more insane 
than before, far more out of their mind than in the 
flesh. Weak minded believe they are still on earth 
but have been transported to some enchanting coun- 
try of South America, as they associate South 
America with a country of gorgeous birds, they keep 
on asking for green periwinkles, red parrots and 
blue birds. At times, they become very insistent 
about those gorgeous birds, they want absolutely 
to have some or at least see some. To calm them, it 
is necessary to humor them with stories of green 
birds, of blue lakes and of red foliage trees. As in- 
sane and weak minded are in need of hospital treat- 
ment, certain small isles are affected to them, high 
minded Spirits devoting themselves to the task of 
restoring their reason and healing their mind. Dead, 
who have passed away after a short illness, recover 
their balance, their equilibrium much quicker than 
those who died after a prolonged and severe malady. 
Youth counts also over there for a great deal. Young 
men triumph over death in a few weeks, old men re- 
cover their full mind only after months, insane after 
years of patient labour and laborious efforts of self 
sacrificing Spirits. I call those Spirits so full of 
abnegation, “my Spirits, my Soldiers, my Guard.” 


CHAPTER XXXI. 
PACKING FOR THE MOON 


“Packing up for the Moon, packing up for the 
Moon;” this cry resounds from time to time, in the 
fifth stratum’s spheres. “Packing my etheric trunk 
for the Golden Planet,” shout Spirits who have be- 
come etherically too strong for the top spheres, the 
spheres, the most etheric of all. There comes a time, 
when Spirits become, speaking like they do, anemic 
for lack of ether. The etheric air they breathe is no 
longer strong enough to keep them in good etheric 
health, they must have a change of climate. In good 
English, spiritually and etherically they have out- 
grown the spheres and must go elsewhere. The fifth 
stratum’s atmosphere which for years agreed very 
well with them, now stifles, chokes, suffocates them, 
they must have more air, in other words, they must 
have stronger ether, ether, with more electricity in 
it. My readers would probably like to know how 
many years Spirits spend in the top spheres of the 
Peninsula, preparing for their Moon expedition. It 
is very different, some grow etherically fast, many 
very slowly; the fast growers remain an average of 
fifteen years, the others much longer. Spirits, who 
have outgrown the spheres know their time is almost 
up, when from time to time, they are lifted up, off 
their feet, rising sometimes five or six feet in the 
ether. It is the etheric warning they will soon have 
to leave for a more electric climate. Spirits say for 
a warmer climate. After a few liftings; Spirits call 
them, jumps up, lifts up, they start making their trip 
preparations, they pack up. This time, they are ex- 
perienced travelers and know their destination. 
This lifting up lasts about one month, each week 
they feel more and more uncomfortable, each week 


74 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


they are lifted higher and higher up. The lifts up 
become real ascensions, in fact, are real training for 
the Moon flight. Spirits, when they are in training 
stop all other exercises in order to be in the best 
etheric condition for the trip to the Moon. On-the 
third week, their wings are spread out and they be- 
gin to pay farewell visits. They call on the officials 
of the sphere, on their friends and acquaintances to 
bid them farewell, they tell them gleefully they may 
be up and off almost any time. They could easily 
imagine they are back on earth, receiving answers 
they often heard down. (for Spirits and Etherics 
the earth is down and the moon is up) Are you go- 
ing? So sorry to see you go; Hope to see you again in 
the near future; take good care of yourself. They 
also receive answers which do not belong down but 
up as: On your way east, watch for storms; wish 
you a safe landing; avoid, if you can, weak ether 
zones; may you strike strong ether zones. One day, 
probably in the fourth week of training, they feel 
queerer in the head than they ever felt before, their 
feet cannot stand on the ground, they are no longer 
dancing, they are hovering, they are flying low. 
They are aware it is their last day in the pyramid- 
like Peninsula and that almost a new life is opening 
up for them, a life much more fascinating, much 
more attractive than the old one. All of a sudden, 
they feel a jerk and up they go, etherizing in the 
direction of the Moon, attracted by the powerful 
and irresistible etheric mass, which the Moon con- 
stitutes with its interior and exterior etheric seas 


CHAPTER XXXII. 


THE MOON 


One hour after they have left the point of the 
Pyramid, they land on the Moon itself, forced to 
descend by the irresistible down etheric attraction; 
etherically, they are not strong enough to resist, 
they are brought down or rather pulled. down 
Speaking like etherics, the Moon is a planet made of 
slate and of rubber; beings and plants are rubber- 
ized, mountains and valleys are slaterized, seas and 
lakes are etheric. It is a colorful planet; colors 
reign supreme on the Moon. Mountains are rust 
color, valleys are generally red or pink, seas are 
purple, plains are orange. To be quite accurate, seas 
are of three colors: there are purple seas, lavender 
seas and bluish seas; purple seas are to be found in 
the cenfral part of the planet. 

The noyau of the Moon is solid, I use the French 
word “‘noyau” because the English language has no 
exact equivalent, expressing my idea so well. The 
Ring of the Moon is not yet completely solidified 
it is still in a state of semi-fluidity ; in a few cent- 
uries, it will be as solid as the noyau, I mean, as 
solid as the central part. Contrary to the opinion of 
many astronomers, the Moon does not rotate 
but has a double oscillation, which I can best 
compare again to the swing of the pendulum of a 
clock. This oscillation gives to Mooners a high 
jumping step; when the oscillation is very violent, 
they spin like a top. 

To Americans, the solid parts of the Moon would 
look a great deal as the Rocky Mountains, the base 
of mountains, is orange yellow in color, the sum- 
mits, rust color. In the narrow valleys, which wind 
their way between hills and mountains, grows an 


76 THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 


etheric vegetation, bluish and sometimes bluish grey 
in color. Right before the floraison time, the veget- 
ation is bluish, almost blue. Etherics call this sea- 
son, the Budding time; after the floraison is over, 
the vegetation turns almost grey. This etheric veg- 
etation blooms twice a year and remains in bloom two 
or three months at one time. Etherics complain 
bitterly when the blooming season is short; storms 
have a great deal to do with its duration. At the 
time of the floraison, the valleys are literally carpeted 
with red and pink flowers. Valleys are then, using the 
language of Etherics and of etherized Spirits, 
(Spirits living in the Moon are called etherized 
Spirits) rivers of red and pink flowers. When moun- 
tains are very high, valleys are scarlet red, when 
they are normal speaking always like Etherics, they 
are pink purple. Etherics and etherized Spirits say, 
there is nothing on earth so beautiful as their rivers 
in bloom. Some day, the Mooners hope to have real 
rivers, and watch with interest certain valleys full 
of humid smoke, of dewy steam. 

There is nothing on earth to which I could compare 
the plants and flowers of the Moon; plants look like 
bushes; flowers look like huge leaves. Ther are 
many volcanos and geysers on the Moon. They are 
the very life of the planet; Mooners hail them as 
benefactors. Volcanos vomit flames miles high; 
young volcanos spit out deep red flames, older vol 
canos vivid green flames. From a distance, it is a 
grandiose spectacle to watch volcanos hurling col- 
umns of fire, sometimes ten miles high, geysers 
spitting out clouds of burning smoke, purple and 
deep blue. Etherics, sometimes watch those clouds 
of hope for hours, exclaiming at intervals: “Some 
day, water, blessed water will come out of them.” 
The Moon is lighted by two suns, one of the first 
magnitude,-our sol, the other of the fifth magnitude, 
our earth. Seen from the Moon with etheric eyes 
(etheric eyes magnify for distances) the sun and the 
earth almost divide the firmament. Etherics and 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN at 


etherized Spirits are never tired of contemplating 
the sky with its two glories, remaining, often hours 
long, in contemplation. The sun, from the moon, is 
about ten times bigger than seen from the earth, 
shining on a background of deep pink. The earth 
looks about seven times bigger than the full moon 
and ten times, at least, more brilliant, dancing re- 
splendently, on what seems from the Moon, a deep 
blue ocean. Spirits of the spheres know only the 
moon through descriptions of their etheric friends, 
the dream of every Spirit is, some day, to see, with 
his own eyes, this planet of wonders so near and yet 
so far from him. There are many more Etherics 
than Spirits on the Moon. 


CHAPTER XXXIiiII. 


LIFE ON THE MOON 


Spirits, especially new Mooners, enjoy life on the 
Moon immensely, everything is to them so new, so 
Strange, so fascinating. Instead of an island, they 
have a whole planet for field. Spirits in the moon 
lead a contemplative and nomadic life. I say con- 
templative, because they spend lots of time contem- 
plating the resplendent firmament and in admiring 
the glorious landscapes, the wonderful sceneries of 
the moon. I say nomadic life because, all the time, 
they are wandering, roaming, roving through the 
mountains and the valleys; they call themselves the 
gypsies of the Moon. Occasionally they are forced 
to interrupt their peregrinations, on account of 
etheric and electric storms; which are almost as sev- 
ere as those of the Peninsula; those storms rage 
during the last etheric quarter. Etherics and ether- 
ized Spirits say, they have one week of bad weather 
and three weeks of fair weather, every month. At 
the base of almost every mountain are found huge 
caves, which often form a kind of underground town, 
stretching under its stratum. Itinerant Etherics and 
Spirits take refuge during storms in those rocky 
caves, they use them for shelter and dormitories. 
Etheric travelers often compare those refuges to the 
Caravansaries of the Orient, open to all comers and 
to all winds. Over the mountains, they etherize, in 
the valleys, they gallop on etheric horses, in band, in 
caravan, another reminiscence of the Orient. Spirits 
in the Moon are nomads, philosophers and contem- 
plators. Where does the Moon come from? The 
Moon comes from the earth; the earth, from the sun. 
The Moonlet, to which I have alluded in one of my 
preceding chapter comes from the Moon. The 


THE DOOR OF DEATH WIDE OPEN 79 


daughter of the Moon is a strange and minuscule 
planet with earthlike aspects, I mean, with earthlike 
aspects when the earth was young: small seas of 
boiling water, giant trees, enormous animals, a 
vegetation rust in color, which is almost as hard as 
stone. The moonlet is inhabited by etheric beings, 
giant in stature, who are bony, they are only half 
etheric now, becoming more human every century; 
in a few centuries they will start to put flesh on. 
Many Spirits, who are now sightseeing the Moon, 
some day, will fulfill certain etheric, electric and 
spiritual conditions of divine order which will open 
for them the Door of Heaven. 








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